


hydrangeas

by olive_blue_eyes



Series: Andi Mack Things [4]
Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Anyways, Blood, Boys In Love, Fluff, Hanahaki Disease, M/M, Woops, bc it can freak some ppl out okay! thanks, edit: LMAO please look up what the FICTIONAL disease is before reading, if u dont already know!!!, like its not the best but i like some of the lines??, this is rushed lmao whatevs, this was a prompt i got on tumblr and i wrote more than i needed to, uwuwuwu they have my whole heart, why do i lowkey like this tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-05 09:42:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16808125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olive_blue_eyes/pseuds/olive_blue_eyes
Summary: TJ has a case of Hanahaki Disease, and tries to tell Cyrus how he feels at basketball practice.





	hydrangeas

_Hydrangeas usually represent heartfelt emotion, and a desire to deeply understand someone._

“I think maybe you should see a doctor, TJ,” Cyrus warned him, a worried look present across his features.

“I think I’ll be fine, and long as this doesn’t screw up the game tomorrow.”

“TJ, I’m _serious._ ” Cyrus ignored him. “If you have to stop halfway through practice because you can’t breathe, it’s a problem. I mean, once you sprained an ankle and kept going!”

“That’s different,” TJ replied, and smiled at the memory of crushing the Raptors’ team.

“Oh my god-- you’re bleeding.”

“What?” TJ scrubbed at his mouth with his hand, and pulled away to find it painted in crimson. “Oh. Well-- I’ll ask my mom about it tonight and she can schedule an appointment tomorrow or something.”

“...Okay.” Cyrus narrowed his eyes, unsure if TJ would follow through with his promise.

After a couple minutes, TJ left Cyrus’ side on the bleachers to resume basketball practice. The next hour went by without a hitch, unless you count TJ losing his focus when he caught Cyrus staring at him.

When the day was over, TJ was exhausted, and Cyrus had begun packing his homework up and heading towards the gym doors. His mom would be waiting in the carpool loop to pick him up in their minivan, and TJ had found the car adorable and teased him for it.

TJ managed to catch up with Cyrus in the gym lobby, next to the water fountains. “Cyrus,” He started, and cut in front of him. Both boys stopped in their tracks. “We need to talk.”

“Sure.” Cyrus beamed. “What’s up?” Before TJ could reply or even piece his jumbled feelings into sentences, Cyrus’ phone buzzed and rang in his pocket. Cyrus pulled it out to read the caller ID.

“My mom’s calling, I think that means I should go,” Cyrus said quietly. He bit his lip and shifted his backpack further up on his shoulder. “She texted a minute ago saying she was waiting out front in the car.”

“Yeah, of course,” TJ agreed, trying not to sound disappointed. “I should be going too, anyways.” Every word that came from his lips sounded awkward and mangled to him. TJ kept his mouth shut, until Cyrus had waved goodbye and pushed open the gym lobby doors.

TJ felt his heart ache through the bones of his ribcage, the pain spreading through his chest slowly, agonizingly. He swallowed roughly and tried to ignore it, until he felt a drop of something fall and land on his hoodie. He was bleeding again. _Shit._

His phone lit up, and he tried in vain to shove the thoughts to the back corner of his brain for now. It buzzed with a text from none other than Cyrus Goodman. The boy himself.

**underdog:** thanks for inviting me to ur game tomorrow!! practice went well, and i hope u feel well enough by tomorrow to crush the other team! ur an awesome friend tbh. ill be there :)

TJ held his breath, _why was he even surprised?_ Maybe somewhere deep down he wishes they might be something more. Someday, at least. But the whole keep-quiet-about-it thing was killing him. How did Cyrus’ friends manage to somehow convey their emotions better than him? They were all such _train wrecks_ , if he was being honest.

He can’t think about this. Not now, when work starts in half an hour and his sister is tired of waiting to take him home to get ready. However, his mind alerts him that he _is_ ready to throw up.

He ended up leaning over the sink in the bathroom at the back of the boys’ locker room, with blood running from his mouth faster with every passing second. He began to think he should have taken Cyrus’ advice and seen a doctor or something. But in the past couple months that he had been dealing with this, it had never been _this_ bad.

After what felt like an eternity, TJ thought that perhaps whatever stupidly inconvenient condition he now had, had decided to slow down. Or, at least that the obnoxious bleeding had let up a little. That’s when he felt them. Something was constricting his lungs, and the state his throat was in bordered the line between choking and coughing; and it was _incredibly uncomfortable,_ he discovered. TJ thankfully managed to cough violently a couple times.

Yeah, he was definitely going to need to wash the sink out after this.

He peered down to see a lone flower petal that rested on the silver drain of the sink. It was a sort of mix between pale blue and purple, and periwinkle color. He recognized them as Hydrangeas-- Cyrus had told him that’s what they were on a visit to the gardens outside some in-state university. They might have been pretty, had they not been soaking in his blood.

* * *

The next day, Saturday, TJ woke early for his big game, only to find his phone swarmed with texts from Cyrus. His heart did a flip in his chest.

**underdog:** what time should i show up lmao

**underdog:** like half an hour before or nah??

**underdog:** my moms pestering me about it sksksksskk

TJ shot back a couple texts telling Cyrus when and where to meet him, and if they could hang out afterwards.

**underdog:** sure :) lemme ask my parents real quick brb

**underdog:** well see u there!!

_I love you._

TJ shut his phone off and left his room to go shower. It was almost freezing, and the last thing he needed to be was uptight and nervous for today, but it woke him up. He stood under the cold water and stared at the shower floor for several minutes before realizing he had zoned out. TJ’s arm stuck out from behind the curtain to grab hold of his phone. He read the time. **7:18 AM.**

He was going to be late.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, he arrived on the Jefferson Middle campus with his hair still rather damp and undone. Cyrus greeted him with as sweet as smile as he ever did. TJ felt his stomach flutter and swim with butterflies. If anything went wrong today, he’d still have one person to go back to. He always did. And it had always been Cyrus.

“Hey, Underdog!” TJ greeted him, already grinning at the site of the dark-haired boy show up early for the first game of the season. Cyrus had been waiting for him a little ways outside of gym, sitting on the pavement and scrolling through his phone.

“Hi!” Cyrus returned the same smile.

“Before I head into the court, can I talk to you for a second? I...didn’t get to yesterday.” He hoped Cyrus didn’t hear the shaking in his voice. He didn’t seem to take notice, but TJ could tell he was nervous as well.

“Sure, of course. Right.” Cyrus answered. Suddenly, TJ fell into a fit of coughing, and Cyrus looked mortified. _What is wrong with him?_ The taller boy had bent over, coughing and spitting into the grass next to the sidewalk. “Holy _shit,_ TJ are you okay?” Cyrus rarely cursed, somehow making TJ stop choking momentarily.

He stood up slowly, his whole body trembling, and facing away from Cyrus.

“ _TJ, are you okay?”_ The boy asked him a second time. When TJ turned back around, blood had drained from his mouth and off his chin, falling onto his hoodie. _At least it’s not getting on the uniform._ In his hands was an entire flower, a hydrangea. Both beautiful and ugly as is rested, crumpled in TJ’s hands. TJ was disgusted, because _where the hell is this even coming from?_ Surely he hadn’t been swallowing whole fucking flowers in his sleep, right?

He expected Cyrus to be just as confused, until he piped in with “Hanahaki disease.”

“What?” TJ tilted his head.

“Hanahaki disease. It’s a condition where plants-- usually flowers of some kind-- sprout in your lungs. It’s some kind of parasite.”

“So what does it mean? Do I need antibiotics or some shit?”

“Unrequited love,” the other boy breathed. “It means someone you love doesn’t love you back. Who is it?”

“Excuse me?” TJ said, both a little confused still, and offended that Cyrus would immediately ask about his love life.

_It’s you._

TJ shook his head to clear his thoughts after taking in Cyrus’ wounded expression. “So, how do I fix it? Does it ever go away?”

Cyrus shook his head in response. “The only way to really fix it is for the person to admit they love you back, or for you to realize it, I guess. I think there’s also surgery, but it can be expensive, and you lose all your romantic feelings as a side effect.”

_Side effect? What the fuck? He’s everything to me and I don’t know what to do._

_I can’t do this._

TJ’s eyes fell to the ground, as he messed with the strings on his now multicolored hoodie.

“TJ,” Cyrus said softly, his voice sounding oddly serious. “Who is it you like? They could love you back, and you just don’t know it yet--”

“I _do,_ Cyrus. He can’t like me. I’m-- I’m _stupid_ and I was a jerk to him for _weeks_.” He looked up, finally looking the other boy in the eyes. “How could you love someone like that?”

_“_ Oh. _Fuck.”_ Cyrus whispered, and TJ had to force down a laugh. Hearing Cyrus curse, especially twice in one day, felt so _weird._ “It’s me?”

TJ nodded quietly, his eyes already managing to stir up tears. They both watched as the hydrangea dropped to the ground and was crushed beneath the dirty-blonde boy’s shoe. When TJ looked up for a second time, Cyrus seemed to have taken several steps toward him. Although it might have just been his imagination.

TJ felt a warm hand resting on the side of his face, and a thumb that dragged across his stained red lips. And suddenly Cyrus’ were on them, soft and tasting like mint. _Of course he brushed his teeth right before coming to the game._ TJ might have rolled his eyes if they weren’t so wide open in shock. Although, they fluttered shut when he began to kiss back, bringing his hands to press against the back of Cyrus’ neck.

They broke apart to breathe, and TJ felt his lungs and heart melt in his chest. He could have sworn everyone in town could hear his heartbeat, it was going so fast.

“You gonna stay for the game?” TJ spoke up, dumbfounded by Cyrus’ move. His voice was raspy, as he struggled to get air into his lungs.

“I _like_ you, you idiot!” Cyrus said, a little too loud. Both of them flinched, and looked around the area to see if anyone could hear them. Or if anyone had seen that they, you know, just _kissed._ The other boy buried his burning face in his hands, and took note of how unfortunately sweaty they had gotten.

Cyrus grabbed TJ’s shaking hands to pull them away from his face. “Well, I _love_ you, so, fuck off.” TJ joked, his voice was muffled and had jumped up an octave. “God, how can I focus on a basketball game after _this?_ ”

“Yeah, good luck,” Cyrus snorted. TJ glared at him, and unzipped his ruined hoodie.

“Damn.” he said, inspecting it for the first time. “Guess I’ll be going shopping later today.”

“Go get ‘em, tiger,” Cyrus teased, and had to reach up to place his hand on TJ’s shoulder.

“You know you’re fucking adorable, right?” TJ replied, and raised an eyebrow. Cyrus’ nose scrunched up at this, and TJ leaned over to kiss it. The shorter boy giggled wildly, face flushing red, and pressed a hand to his nose where TJ had kissed it.

“I should be going,” TJ said eyeing the clock on his phone. His expression had instantly shifted to being nervous again, and Cyrus mirrored him, before grabbing his hand again. TJ felt his cheeks grow hot at the gesture.

“You’ll do great,” Cyrus assured him. “I love you, always have. Thanks for noticing, by the way.”

_“I love you.”_

TJ took in a deep breath, and for the first time in months, his lungs held nothing but air.

**Author's Note:**

> \- worm hope this was ok skskks  
> \- theyre in LOVE ok  
> \- like, comment and subscribe  
> \- and kudos...please  
> \- follow my tumblr @tj-and-cyrus  
> \- also my askblog, @asktyrus!!!  
> \- this was my first time writing this disease lmao what  
> \- prolly the only one too skksksks


End file.
